A Private US Spacecraft Headed to the Moon Captures a Glorious View of Earth

First Moonshot for Firefly Aerospace

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A private US spacecraft bound for the moon, Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, has captured stunning images of Earth just one week into its flight.

Blue Ghost Fires its Thrusters

Still circling Earth, the Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander fired its thrusters on Thursday to put it on a path to reach the moon in over a month. Dubbed Blue Ghost, the spacecraft beamed back photos and video of the Blue Marble, our planet, to the Texas company, which released the images on Friday.

Experiments for NASA

The Blue Ghost lunar lander is carrying experiments for NASA, part of the space agency’s effort to return astronauts to the moon this decade.

First Moonshot for Firefly Aerospace

This is the first moonshot for Firefly Aerospace, a privately funded company aiming to revolutionize space travel.

SpaceX’s Double Launch

Blue Ghost is one of two lunar landers launched from Florida by SpaceX on January 15. It’s targeting a moon touchdown on March 2. The other lander is sponsored by the Japanese company ispace and taking an even longer route, with a landing in late May or early June.

First Lunar Lander from ispace

ispace, based in Tokyo, launched its second lunar lander, Resilience, and is still orbiting Earth and performing all its maneuvers to close in on the moon. ispace’s first lunar lander crashed into the moon in 2023, but this second attempt is looking promising.

Conclusion

The Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, has successfully captured stunning images of Earth just one week into its flight, marking a major milestone in the company’s maiden moonshot. With experiments on board for NASA and a touchdown planned for March 2, this mission promises to be a significant step in the US government’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade.

FAQs

• Q: What is the name of the Firefly Aerospace lunar lander?

Blue Ghost

• Q: What is the target date for the Blue Ghost lunar lander’s moon touchdown?

March 2

• Q: Which company sponsored the other lunar lander launched from Florida by SpaceX?

ispace

• Q: What happened to ispace’s first lunar lander?

It crashed into the moon in 2023